1. Theoretical Framework

Theory: a systematic way of organizing & explaining observations. Provides the framework for generating a hypothesis: proposed cause-and-effect relationship between 2 or more variables, that flows from the theory or an important question.

Variable: a phenomenon that changes across circumstances or varies among individuals. Can be-

continuous variable: can be placed on a continuum of infinite values (intelligence, body weight)

categorical variable: can take on fixed values (sex- male or female, race, had heart attack-yes or no)

3. Generalizability of Research

Sample that is representative of the population as a whole
-researchers take samples from a limited portion of the entire population so sampling must be representative as a whole so that conclusions drawn from the samples are likely to be true of the rest of population

Procedure that is sensible and relevant to circumstances outside the laboratory
-for a study to be generalizable its procedure must be valid:
Internal Validity (valid design- are methods/procedures of study sound or flawed?)
External Validity (does experimental situation resemble the situation found in the real world, outside the lab?)
Leads to Experimenter's Dilemma because there is a trade-off in which researchers must choose to place more emphasis on external validity or on internal validity.

Generalizability: the applicability of the findings to the entire population of interest to the researcher.